Non-Profit

Sick of meetings that go off the rails? ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’ can help

It’s no secret that lawyers are asked to attend or preside over many kinds and types of meetings. But not everyone has formal training in running them.

Aug 24, 2022 8:36 AM CDT

Succession Planning: In retirement, Janet Goelz Hoffman supports nonprofits through pro bono and mentoring

More than 40 years ago, Janet Goelz Hoffman set out to help those who help others, building a sizable client base of nonprofit organizations before retiring as a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman. Now in the next chapter of her career, the veteran public finance attorney continues to prioritize the needs of nonprofits at Katten’s Chicago office as a senior counsel and pro bono counsel. She not only assists these clients with transactional pro bono matters, but she also is mentoring younger attorneys who are also interested in making pro bono part of their practice.

Aug 1, 2022 12:30 AM CDT

How to apply business principles and legal tech to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Jeroen Plink, the chief operating officer of the Legaltech Hub, a board member at Casetext and the former CEO of Practical Law; and Jeroen Ketting, the founder and CEO of the Lighthouse Group, a provider of management and trade support to Western companies doing business in Russia and Ukraine.

Jun 21, 2022 8:37 AM CDT

State AG probes Texas Bar Foundation for allegedly aiding ‘mass influx of illegal aliens’

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into the Texas Bar Foundation for “possibly aiding and abetting the mass influx of illegal aliens,” according to a May 6 press release.

May 9, 2022 11:44 AM CDT

Florida lawyer lied to hundreds of disabled trust clients, SEC says

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is accusing a Florida attorney of defrauding at least 380 clients, most of whom have disabilities and are recipients of Medicaid or Social Security Supplemental Security Income benefits.

May 4, 2022 9:27 AM CDT

Volunteer attorneys needed to help Afghan evacuees stuck in limbo within Abu Dhabi camp

Jordan Jones went to the United Arab Emirates in late March, hoping to help Afghan judges, prosecutors and rule of law professionals who fled their country nearly eight months earlier.

Apr 21, 2022 11:19 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Summer associates see higher offer rates; judge won’t dissolve NRA

Offer rates climb for summer associates Offer rates for summer associate spots last year reached their highest mark since 2007, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association for Law Placement. Fifty-eight percent of callback interviews resulted in offers for summer positions, according to the report, Perspectives on…

Mar 4, 2022 2:18 PM CST

Nonprofit sues over unauthorized practice rules that prevent free nonlawyer advice in debt cases

A lawsuit filed Tuesday contends that New York’s rules banning the unauthorized practice of law interfere with a First Amendment right by nonlawyers to provide free legal advice to debt collection defendants.

Jan 26, 2022 1:41 PM CST

Can lawyers who are natural pessimists learn to channel optimism? Speaker at well-being conference says it’s time to try

When handling legal matters, lawyers often have to envision the worst possible outcomes for their clients and work to protect against them.

Jan 20, 2022 10:24 AM CST

Institute for Well-Being in Law will host first virtual conference later this month

A nonprofit formed to further the work of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being that the American Bar Association participated in will host its inaugural conference later this month.

Jan 7, 2022 11:23 AM CST

Interested in helping Afghans apply for asylum? Here’s a way to start

The ABA Commission on Immigration, through a new partnership with refugee resettlement agency HIAS, is hoping to help more people from Afghanistan who were evacuated to the United States after the Taliban took over their country last year.

Jan 6, 2022 8:58 AM CST

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2021

The ABA Journal regularly profiles exceptional ABA members in its Members Who Inspire series. In the past year, we featured many in the legal field who are encouraging and energizing others with their good work, including advocating for inmates on death row, mentoring prospective law students of African descent and fighting to stop bullying in the workplace.

Dec 17, 2021 9:34 AM CST

August Hieber helps create access to legal services for older LGBT adults

August Hieber created Proud to Thrive, the first program in Chicago specifically designed to provide culturally responsive legal advocacy to LGBT older adults. Hieber recognized this population is less likely to access resources because of past experiences with discrimination and worked with the Center for Disability & Elder Law to host legal clinics and train other legal professionals on how to offer services.

Dec 14, 2021 1:19 PM CST

Orrick extends program of embedding associates at nonprofits

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has extended a fellowship program in which it embeds its associates at nonprofit organizations for a year while paying their law firm salaries.

Oct 22, 2021 10:22 AM CDT

Limit on food distribution to homeless people in parks violates First Amendment, 11th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court on Tuesday sided with a nonprofit organization that provides free food to homeless people in a park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, finding that a city rule that limits the practice is unconstitutional.

Sep 3, 2021 10:16 AM CDT